Whimple Wassail

Subject: Whimple Wassail
From: GUEST,Jim Causley
Date: 05 Jan 08 - 06:14 AM

Yes it's that wassaily time of year again and anyone who isn't too far away is most welcome to the Whimple Wassail in East Devon on olde twelfth night(17th January).

Our Somerset cousin wassail in Carhampton will also be taking place that night but unlike Carhampton, Whimple is a shamefully "broken" tradition (bloody WWII) which was lovingly fixed by the Whimple History Society in 1993. Fifteen years on it's very much alive and hopefully back to it's old joyful self; our claim to fame is that the reverand Sabine Baring-Gould wrote about the Whimple Wassail in his book 'Devon Characters and Strange Events' published 1908. Oh and the wonderful and sadly missed Whiteway's Cyder factory which was based in the village, mmm!

So if you're temted then do pop along, always a good session/singsong in the cricket club afterwards, lots of cyder, cheese and applecake!

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 05 Jan 08 - 08:08 AM

The people of Whimple are ever the same...

I can't make it this year but am going to try for next year. I've never been Wassailing, despite having written about it for the Sunday Times. I feel llike I ought to come and see if it's actually anything like I described it.

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Surreysinger
Date: 05 Jan 08 - 08:56 AM

Wish it wasn't so far away Jim... maybe next year?

In the meantime I shall be out with the Guildford Wassailers again tomorrow night ... ... I still wish I'd had a camera with me to capture the moment of your installation as a Knight of the Court of Misrule at the Angel two years ago, for services rendered to Her Majesty (even if you did forget the last verse of your song!! I have a feeling it may even have been the Whimple Wassail???) Sadly one of the six regular venues en route, the Three Pigeons, has now become a wine bar... so no playing out the action on the spiral staircase any more ... but I've no doubt that the evening will be as much fun as ever, and that the wassailers will be in good voice.

Hope Whimple's night goes well.
All the best
Irene

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: GUEST,JohnB
Date: 05 Jan 08 - 12:03 PM

We can claim a trdition going back to 2001 in Ontario Canada.
Orange Peel Morris can also claim to be the lowest of the low, having done the Apple tree Wassail at -25 Degrees. It was a bloody cold night, we now do two Apple Wassails, one on the Thursday closest to the 17th and one on the Saturday after.
Here's to Tradition, and a good glass of Cider, JohnB

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Cats
Date: 05 Jan 08 - 04:00 PM

When we moved to this hamlet 4 years ago we invited the rest of the hamlet to wassail our very tiny trees. Everyone came. Now we wassail at 2 local farms plus our trees and end up at the cottage for singing music storytelling etc. Last year in the middle of the proceedings we did the 1827 SE Cornwall Mummers Play as we know it would have been enacted here at the manor house. Hopefully we will get up to Whimple on 17th. Good luck to all who wassail.

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Surreysinger
Date: 05 Jan 08 - 04:05 PM

Cats - I'm intrigued... if those trees have been wassailed for the last four years, are they still very tiny, or has the wassailing done it's work??? Hope your night goes well!

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Cats
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 05:16 AM

The wassail has done its work. We put them in as whips so they were not allowed to fruit for 3 years . This year we had loads of apples. The tree we are going to wassail in the old orchard is at the other end of the time span and was put in for the farmers mother. He is in his 70's so it has to be around 100 years old and still fruiting wel.

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Surreysinger
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 10:46 AM

Ah, the power of tradition !!

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: GUEST,Claire Makeit
Date: 10 Jan 08 - 04:35 AM

Hey Jim i'm coming along this year! see you there!

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Cats
Date: 10 Jan 08 - 12:59 PM

Jim, any chance you can get down to us this Saturday? pm me if you can and I'll send you directions

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: GUEST,Jim Causley
Date: 11 Jan 08 - 03:02 AM

Who are you? what is happening this saturday??!!

either way, no can do coz i'm working and then going to see Sultans of Squeeze in the evening but i'm sure it would have been lovely whatever it was!

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Cats at Work
Date: 11 Jan 08 - 05:44 AM

Jim, See the thread above. We are in SE Cornwall and we are going to wassail 3 orchards in the village and have a sing back at my house afterwards.

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: GUEST,Jim Causley
Date: 11 Jan 08 - 12:16 PM

Sorry Cats i'm very blonde, it's all the peroxide you see - rots the brain!

Where in SE Cornwall are you? Sounds like a great night.

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Cats
Date: 11 Jan 08 - 01:28 PM

The hamlet of Rillaton ~ 8 houses and 2 farms.

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Cats
Date: 11 Jan 08 - 01:28 PM

Sorry, pressed the wrong button. The hamlet also Cries the Neck in September.

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Jan 08 - 01:32 PM

ok i'll google-map it!

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Folkiedave
Date: 11 Jan 08 - 01:52 PM

despite having written about it for the Sunday Times. I feel like I ought to come and see if it's actually anything like I described it.

Confirms what I have always thought about the "Sunday TImes" :-)

We can claim a tradition going back to 2001 in Ontario Canada.
Orange Peel Morris can also claim to be the lowest of the low,

I don't know about that - it's the Grenoside Traipse this weekend too!!

http://www.grenosword.f9.co.uk/

Good luck with the wassail Jim.

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Cats
Date: 14 Jan 08 - 10:01 AM

Here's hoping Whimple's we be as excellent and successful as ours was on Saturday. We did 3 orchards and had in one of them the son, grandsons and great grandsons of the person the tree was planted for all standing together.

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: GUEST,Phil B
Date: 14 Jan 08 - 10:06 AM

Oy'll bay therrrr Jim

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Surreysinger
Date: 14 Jan 08 - 10:37 AM

Hope it goes well, Jim!!
(Our Twelfth Night was great fun - although there did seem to be a few less poeple than usual... possibly something to do with it being on a Sunday and people having work the next morning? No pples involved for that one, though, of course!!)
Irene

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: GUEST,cardboard cutout
Date: 17 Jan 08 - 05:48 PM

So how did it go, native and adopted Devonians? Hoping there wasn't so much rain it drowned out the singing and made the toast go soggy.

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 17 Jan 08 - 07:25 PM

Sadly I'm in London and had no chance of getting to the Whimple Wassail, so hope you had a great time.

Jim - if Cats had been there, you'd probably have recognised her from the Cornwall Songwriters' Lost Gardeners show as performed at South Zeal a couple of years ago.....

Kitty

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Cats
Date: 18 Jan 08 - 07:29 AM

Sorry didn't make it. I am off work with a virus that makes you feel drunk and fall over.... Yes, I have to admit, I was Helygen. In fact we used Helygen's crown for the virgin who put the toast in the trees this year ~ Hawker's daughter.

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: GUEST,Jim Causley
Date: 18 Jan 08 - 11:58 AM

A most successful wassail 2008! A bright, cloudless sky, the moon she shone down as it says she's supposed to in the song and a really good turn out. all we have to do now is wait for september and see if we a good job for the next harvest!

We were also honoured by the presence of Mr Doc Rowe and his trusty camera so no doubt you'll be watching footage of W.W. at a folk cinema near you before long!

Subject: RE: Whimple Wassail
From: Cats
Date: 18 Jan 08 - 02:11 PM

Well done, Jim. Roll on Crying of the Neck.